And Away We Go
by Maylana1129
Summary: Duke and Jennifer, from the beginning. Story starts with the events of 4x01 and each chapter is another episode. Eventually, I am sure I will diverge from the current plot lines, but I have to catch up first.
1. Chapter 1 - And Away We Go

**Author's Note: **I am intrigued by the burgeoning relationship between Duke and Jennifer. I know after watching the previews for 4x08 there is a little bump in that road, but I feel like they will figure it out. Until then, here is my take on what has been happening so far. As always, thank you for the comments and reviews.

* * *

During the drive from Boston, Duke didn't talk much. He was overcome with confusion and emotion. To believe that six months had passed for the rest of the world seemed incredible. Dave had been pretty convincing though. To him, all of the feelings and emotions of the past few weeks were pretty raw. He had finally accepted that Audrey had to make her own choice, and that he had to respect it. It made him love her more, to see how she was able to sacrifice everything for people she loved, and even for people she didn't know. For her, just realizing that there were people out there that she could help, he knew she wouldn't be able to make any other choice.

But now, he felt anything but acceptance. He had kept his promise to her, he prevented Nathan from going into the barn, but he couldn't believe what Nathan had done. When he realized that the barn was exploding, with Nathan yelling at him to save her, Duke didn't even hesitate. He had never been one for selfless acts, but it seemed the longer he knew Audrey, the more he wanted to be a better person. He remembered being frantic to find her in the supernatural whiteness of the barn, and then nothing but blackness. Thankfully, he wasn't afraid of the dark, but even more thankfully, it didn't last long. The seal tank in Boston wasn't a great landing pad though. It was actually kind of cold.

Duke glanced over at Jennifer, and she didn't notice, as she was pretty focused on driving. She had been pretty chatty for the beginning of the drive, but had quieted down as he became more unresponsive. He needed to make sure he wasn't too caught up in his own crap, at this point he needed her and couldn't risk alienating her.

He had to admit that even though she was a small package, she had a big personality. All intense and ready for action, even though she was obviously scared. He didn't know what to think when she busted into his hospital room, and he certainly didn't know what to think when she took him pretty literally about providing a distraction. He had to admire her methods though.

And now, he was taking her into a situation that God knows what was going to happen. Nathan not in the police department, hiding out from the Guard, Troubles being worse, and Audrey missing. He looked out the window again, wishing time could move faster, wishing they had found Nathan already.

* * *

Jennifer could feel Duke looking at her, but she pretended to be very interested in the road ahead of her. She was pretty sure she was crazier than she had previously thought. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, but that was nothing new. Actually, the meds she was on tended to dull her thinking a little, but this situation was so crazy, she felt the most awake she had in awhile. When she had seen Duke on the news report this morning, it felt like her world had turned upside down… again. She had just gotten used to accepting she was crazy, who knew what mental illnesses ran in her family? Since she had never been successful in finding her birth parents, as far as she knew, her parents had met in a loony bin!

She certainly wasn't exhibiting any solid, reputable behavior right now! First, she runs to a hospital to see a man she had thought she had imagined, then she lied her way into his hospital room and then busted the same man out of that hospital by showing her boobs to the orderly! Forget how cute he is, it was just plain nuts.

Jennifer snuck a peek at Duke while he stared out of the window. _He is pretty cute_, she thought. But, it wasn't just that. There was something about him that she instinctively trusted, even though she didn't have any reason to. Maybe it was listening to his voice in her head for months. It was the exact same voice, too, calling out for an Audrey like he would die without her. She obviously means a lot to him.

_No worries_, Jennifer thought. _Cute or not, taken or not, if he can help me figure out what is going on in my head, then I am all in. _She knew that they were heading into Maine to find a Nathan. Supposedly, he can help them find what Duke is looking for. A biker bar was a weird place for a rescuer, but stranger things had happened… today.

She found the turn off, and Duke perked up. She liked seeing that. After trying to talk to him when they started driving, she soon realized he was too preoccupied to carry on a conversation. She mostly had tried because she felt so awkward and uncomfortable, but it had actually not been too bad, riding in silence.

"It's here," Duke said as he motioned to a building that seemed a bit disreputable. He jumped out of the car almost before she had come to a stop. She quickly turned the car off, grabbed her keys, and ran out after him.

They watched the scene in front of them, and it was pretty nuts. The tall, skinny guy was taking hits like he was oblivious. And someone needed to tell him that the whole facial hair thing wasn't working.

She gave Duke the $20, and stayed back. It was nice that Duke was concerned for her safety. He probably just didn't want to have to worry about her and his friend at the same time.

After a minute, it looked like all was well in Duke and skinny guy land, so snacks seemed to be in order. She felt pretty useless, but snacks she could do.

A few minutes later, they were all in the car headed to Haven. She had to say it was nice how concerned Duke was for his friend. It was pretty obvious in his body language. And she was happy that his friend had shaved, he looked much better, even though it didn't do much for his aroma. Oh well, maybe they could find him a nice shower when they got to Haven. He was a bit too close for her in this car!


	2. Chapter 2 - A Little Bit of Crazy

**Author's Note:** Here is the second episode installment of my take on Duke and Jennifer's story, so far… It's a little longer than the first chapter, and that's because as the episodes go on, there is more and more Duke and Jennifer content. Thanks so much for the positive feedback.

* * *

It was a nice breakfast that Wade had made for them. Jennifer was watching the dynamic between Duke and his brother, but it seemed like they were more acquaintances than brothers. She was sure there was a story there, but for now, she was too tired to pry. She had been up way too late with Nathan, going over every detail that she could remember from the voices in her head. It was too hard to tell him that she didn't remember anything new, he was so intense and desperate, and she felt for the guy.

It was sweet, the way Duke didn't want her to keep taking her meds. She was just so used to being afraid of the voices, that she didn't feel ready to stop. It was one thing for him to tell her that she was normal, at least by Haven standards, but it was another for her to really feel normal.

"How would you like to see a small town paper?" Duke asked her.

She obviously hadn't been paying close attention to this part of the conversation, but she was up for anything. She smiled. "Sure."

They finished their breakfast and walked out to her car. Duke wondered at his instinct to keep Jennifer in his sight. He told himself that he was being a good host, she didn't know anyone else in town, and he needed to keep an eye on her, in case she remembered something else about Audrey. He did like having her around, though. There was something about her disposition and positive outlook that was appealing.

They chatted about Haven and local landmarks while they drove over to the Herald. Jennifer found herself sneaking looks at Duke when she thought he didn't notice. She liked his hair pulled back in the ponytail, but she thought it looked sexy down. _Stop that_, she told herself. _He's obviously hung up on Audrey._ But there was nothing wrong with appreciating his cuteness!

Duke was slightly preoccupied during the drive. He was wondering about what Vince and Dave were up to, but he found himself enjoying pointing out landmarks to Jennifer. She was so enthusiastic about every new thing; it was hard to not relax around her.

* * *

After they finished up at the Herald, Duke suggested they go for a walk. Jennifer readily agreed. She figured there had to be a little shop somewhere that sold salt water taffy. When Duke mentioned that Haven wasn't safe for Wade, she was a little surprised. "So Haven is too dangerous for your brother, but you want me to stay?" she asked.

Duke turned and stopped. He explained that Wade didn't belong in Haven. He told her a story from when they were little kids, when a friend of theirs got hurt sledding and how Wade reacted so badly to it. Jennifer marveled at his retelling, she could almost see the blood and the broken arm. She listened intently. She could also picture little Duke carrying his friend to the hospital and then going back to sledding. She smiled at the image.

She thought about how she would have handled the same situation. "I don't know what I would have done," she confessed.

"You helped me back in Boston," Duke replied. "You're here now, helping us find Audrey." He looked in her eyes. "I'm pretty sure you would have helped that kid," he said, his voice soft. He smiled, "And then gone back to sledding."

Jennifer smiled back up at him. She liked his estimation of her, it made her feel more capable than she had in a long time. She wanted to live up to his opinion of her.

Duke realized that he had to go back to the Gull to check up on Wade, and to make sure he was leaving. He hated to end their walk, it was pretty nice, actually it was the most relaxed he had felt in a while. He asked Jennifer to come with him, as he was reluctant to leave her company, but he understood when she said she wanted to walk around town for a little while. She mentioned wanting to look for taffy, and Duke pointed out a coffee shop to her that she could go to, planning on meeting her when he was done with Wade.

Jennifer walked away, and Duke started to walk in the other direction, but he hesitated. He watched her walk towards the shops, and he felt like saying something, but he didn't know what. In the end, he just went back to the Gull.

Jennifer walked around town for a few minutes. Haven looked so picture perfect, the little seaside town. It was hard to believe that there was so much pain under the surface. She found some taffy in the third shop she went into. Coffee sounded good, and she remembered the coffee shop that Duke had pointed out. She hoped all went well with his brother, and that maybe he would come back and join her. She got some coffee, with the intention of sitting at one of the tables outside. When she went back into the shop to retrieve her bag of taffy that she had left behind, she was horrified by the burned bodies she saw. Her mind went blank and she screamed.

After the police and ambulance arrived, she was numb. The paramedics checked her out, but she still felt like she was in shock. Irrationally, she wanted Duke there with her. She felt safer with him around, like nothing could hurt her when he was there. Nathan said he called him, but she didn't feel any better.

Duke was racing to downtown Haven. Nathan had called and told him what had happened, and his first thought was of Jennifer. He had to get to her and make sure she was okay. She was in this mess because he had bought her to Haven. He drove around the corner from the coffee shop and parked in the first place he could find. He knew he wouldn't be able to get closer to the shop with all the police cars. He barely turned off the car when he was on foot, running to the ambulance where he saw Jennifer.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, touching her arm to reassure himself.

"Yeah," she nodded, even though she didn't feel too okay.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here. He looked up and pointed at Nathan, who was walking over to them. He could tell that Nathan was on the scent, he had that look in his eyes. "Hey…" he started before Nathan cut him off, asking if Jennifer could identify the suspect. Nathan came on pretty strong, as usual, but Duke wasn't going to let it go this time. "Will you excuse us a moment?" he asked Jennifer kindly.

Jennifer watched Duke and Nathan from the back of the ambulance. She still felt pretty shaken up, but she knew that she felt a lot better with Duke nearby. He seemed pretty intent on getting her out of there, but she also felt that if she could help figure out who was burning these people, then maybe she should. After all, earlier, Duke basically told her that he thought she could handle things here in Haven. Maybe she should show him he was right. It was pretty nice watching him defend her against Nathan's overbearingness though.

Duke was pissed. Nathan had some nerve. First, he kept her up until she was exhausted, grilling her about the barn, and now he wanted to take her right into some Troubled line of fire. It wasn't safe, and she was his responsibility. It was bad enough that she almost got barbequed in the coffee house he had sent her to. Nathan was pretty certain that she'd be safe, but Duke wasn't going to leave it up to him.

"It's okay," Jennifer called out to him. "I want to help."

Duke turned to look at her, his eyes full of concern. Both men walked back to her. Duke cocked his head and looked at her in that endearing way he had, a question plain on his face. "Are you sure about this? I don't think it is safe."

Jennifer, nervous as she was, knew she could be strong if he was with her. She nodded.

Duke looked over at Nathan. "I'm coming too. There is no way I am letting her out of my sight." Nathan shrugged, a _suit yourself_ kind of gesture and started walking over to his Bronco.

Jennifer warmed at the concern and protectiveness in Duke's voice. He helped her up off of the back of the ambulance, and held onto her arm, as if to steady her. They met Nathan at the Bronco, and Duke climbed in the back. There wasn't much conversation on the way to the fire station.

After Jennifer had identified the man from the coffee shop from the picture on the wall of the fire station, she felt like going back to the Gull. She knew that they couldn't, that they had to find Don Keaton and stop him from hurting anyone else. Maybe that's what Duke meant by handling things in Haven. She was scared, but she knew she couldn't let innocent people get hurt.

The three of them drove back to downtown Haven to find Keaton. There were people all around, and they had no idea where he could be. Duke and Jennifer started to walk around, looking for him. Duke was going to make sure that he kept Jennifer away from any danger. They saw that Nathan had found Keaton, and then, Jordan ran up. Duke knew that she was going to make things worse, and worse meant that people could get hurt. It only registered a little bit when Jennifer backed him up, even though he was holding a gun on what looked like an unarmed woman.

* * *

When it was all over, Jennifer felt drained. She started the day off tired, and now she felt like she had nothing left. It was good to get back to the Gull. It was starting to feel a little like home. She knew it was Audrey's apartment that she was staying in, and if they were successful, then she'd have nowhere to go. _Oh well,_ she thought. _I'll figure that out when it happens._

Duke was done. Between his brother, Vince, Don Keaton, Jordan and sending Jennifer to her almost doom at the coffee house, he was out of patience. He wanted a drink, maybe two or five. He wasn't exactly glad though, to see that Wade was working out his problems by bartending drunk, but there were only so many things that were his problem today. He went out to the porch to get away from the crowd and noise outside. He also thought he had seen Jennifer go out there, and he wanted to check on her.

Jennifer was standing at the porch railing staring down at her prescription bottle. _Was she really ok with not being normal, like she told Nathan? Could she help more if she went off her meds? Was Duke right, that she didn't really need them? If she could do anything to help find Audrey, then she should do it. After what she saw today, the town really needed her to come back. What if the answers were locked in her head?_ She saw Duke walking over to her, and she smiled to herself at the rush of feeling that came over her. All at once, she felt safe and happy to be with him.

She looked over at him. "The day I first started hearing voices, your voice, it was the most frightened I had ever been in my life, like a fish that had just been yanked out of the water," she spoke slowly and deliberately. Crazy, nuts, powerless. I don't want to feel that way again."

Duke looked out over the water and then back at her. He instinctively knew how hard these words were for her to say.

She continued, "But today, I really understood how important Audrey is. And why Haven needs her so badly. If I can remember anything that will help bring her back…" she trailed off as she poured her pills into the water.

Duke made some flip remark to help lighten the mood, but he secretly was glad that she wasn't going to take those pills anymore.

"You're the one who keeps saying that I'm not crazy, I'm Troubled," she said.

"You are," Duke said. He paused. "And Troubled, we can fix." He looked into Jennifer's eyes and smiled. "Usually." Right there and then, Duke vowed to himself that he would help her, that he would do whatever it took to make her feel safe, and make sure that Audrey helped her once they had found her.

Jennifer somehow felt calmer. She had been agonizing over the decision to stop taking her pills. She didn't fit in in Boston. Maybe she fit in here, with him.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Bloody Revelation

**Author's Note: **This chapter takes place during the events of 4x03. I was very interested in the scene where Jennifer learns of Duke's Trouble. Thanks again for the reviews, it really makes me want to keep going!

* * *

Jennifer woke up in a bed that was starting to become a little more familiar to her. She felt at home in Audrey's apartment, the place had a nice feel to it. Seeing all of Audrey's things, she really started to think that she and Audrey would get along.

As she was getting ready, she thought about Duke. Jennifer liked seeing him, but she didn't want to think too much about the little butterflies that started dancing in her stomach when he walked into room. She knew he was carrying a torch for Audrey, and that just seemed like a good way to get hurt. She decided to go downstairs to the Gull and see what was happening, maybe wrangle some waffles.

* * *

Duke was overseeing the morning staff in the Gull when Jennifer walked in. She was such a perky force of nature, he couldn't help but smile when she was around. Not for the first time, he wondered what kind of person it made him to involve her in all the craziness and drama of Haven.

"Have you had breakfast yet?" he asked her when she walked over to him at the bar.

Jennifer smiled, "I was hoping you'd ask that, or just randomly have a plate of waffles around here that needed someone to eat them."

"I am known for my waffles," he said. "The secret is in the syrup." He motioned for her to go sit at a table. "One plate of ownerless waffles coming right up!"

Jennifer smiled and moved over to a table where she could see into the kitchen some. She was also able to look out over the water a little. She liked it here. The sunlight was over the water and it seemed so peaceful. A couple of minutes later, Duke walked over carrying two plates and a carafe of syrup.

"Madam's order," he said as he set the plate down in front of her. He sat down across from her, and they mostly ate in silence, each not too sure what to say.

When she was finished, Jennifer looked up at Duke to see that he was looking out of the window. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I was just thinking of Audrey," he explained. "I am worried that she is out there somewhere and can't find her way home," he paused. "Or that she doesn't know that this is home."

Jennifer's heart went out to him in his concern. "You and Nathan are doing everything you can to find her. And maybe now that I have stopped taking my meds, I will remember something else."

Duke smiled at her, and was distracted by a ringing phone, his cell phone that he had left on the bar. He grabbed their plates, and ran over to answer it.

Jennifer looked around to see what she could do. She got restless easily and she liked to keep in motion.

* * *

Duke hung up with Nathan after a few moments. He understood Nathan's need to push for more information, but he wanted to make sure they weren't pushing Jennifer too hard. He figured it may take more than a day or two for her meds to really be out of her system anyway. He was watching her roll silverware with one of his waitresses, and she was smiling and engaged in conversation. Even though she was doing something mundane and repetitive, she was happy. Duke went back to work behind the bar, and resolved to talk to her more about the barn in a few minutes.

Jennifer finished up with the silverware and had an idea to squeeze some oranges for juice to thank Duke for the great breakfast. He came over to her, watching her work the juicer. He sat down.

"Did you hear anything about where Audrey might end up?" he asked, almost apologetically. "Did Howard say anything?"

"I don't remember that man, Howard, saying anything about where Audrey was going next," she said. "I do remember you though, desperately calling her name like you never wanted to lose her." She waited to see what he would say in response.

Duke looked at her intently, not really wanting to think about it all that much. He nodded. "She was, ahh, special to me," he admitted.

"Was?" Jennifer asked. "Do you think she's dead?"

"I don't want her to be," Duke replied. Jennifer handed him some orange juice.

They continued to talk for a few moments, Duke telling her that Audrey wouldn't mind that she was staying in her apartment. During the conversation, Jennifer couldn't help but notice that Duke seemed different. It was as if each passing hour that Audrey wasn't found, he accepted more and more that she wouldn't be. It wasn't like giving up hope, he seemed determined to find her, but the frantic Duke she had met in the hospital wasn't really there anymore. He was much calmer and measured, thinking.

Duke appreciated the orange juice, almost as much as he appreciated the conversation. It felt good to talk to Jennifer about Audrey. He couldn't talk to Nathan like this, Nathan would never stand to hear anything that might sound like doubt of Audrey's return. He was also concerned about Jennifer. He felt like she should be having some side effects of stopping a medication that she was taking this long. Maybe it could be chalked up to more Haven/Trouble weirdness, but he wasn't sure. He felt like there was a bond between them, but he couldn't explain it and didn't have time to explore it.

When Duke asked her why she wasn't sleeping, Jennifer winced. She didn't want to tell him that his brother was keeping her up all night, he had enough to deal with. They were having a nice moment, just the two of them, and she didn't want to mess it up with negativity. When Duke pushed a little, she relented and told him everything. She had a feeling that she would never be able to keep much of anything from him.

Duke was frustrated at Wade still being around. He needed him to leave so he could stop worrying about him getting caught up in the Troubles. He didn't have time to worry about Vince either.

Just then, Jennifer cut herself on the knife she was using to cut up the oranges. She jumped when the citrus got in the wound, and a drop of blood ran down the side of her fingertip. All that Duke could see was the crimson blood, and the threat it held. He leapt backwards, putting as much room in between him and the Troubled blood.

Jennifer noticed the look on Duke's face, and his rigid body language. She thought it was strange, that this guy who had dove into an imploding, supernatural barn was afraid of a little cut.

_She can't know_, Duke thought to himself. The last thing he wanted was for Jennifer to know about his Trouble. He didn't think he could bare it if this trusting, sunshine of a person was afraid of him. He made up some lame excuse about hating to see a lady in distress, and he got out of there as quick as he could. He went into the back to find Jennifer a bandage, but he didn't come out right away. He had to get a hold of himself, he didn't want her to suspect anything. The lure of the blood was strong, but fortunately, his horror at the feeling was stronger. He went back out front, and handed Jennifer the bandage, from an angle where he couldn't see the cut.

Jennifer thought he was acting weird, but didn't say anything. She motioned out towards the deck. "Wade's here."

Duke sighed and went to mix his brother up a bloody Mary, Wade's drink of choice when hung over. He smiled an apologetic smile at Jennifer and took the drink out to the porch.

Jennifer watched Duke and his brother for a few minutes. She could see how they were ill at ease with each other. Wade seemed like a puppy lately. Eager to please, but easily wounded. Jennifer decided to go up to the apartment for a little while and give them some privacy. She decided to lie on the couch for a little, she was so tired. She was thinking about her conversation with Duke and how nice breakfast had been when she drifted off.

* * *

Duke was done talking to Wade, literally and figuratively. He had done everything short of telling him straight out to get out of town. He excused himself from the conversation, making excuses of work to do inside.

He had been watering down the liquor for a few minutes, among some other odds and ends when Jennifer walked in, with a horrified look on her face. Duke was immediately on guard. Jennifer told him she had been woken up by sounds and voices in her head, and she was obviously distraught.

Jennifer didn't understand what was going on. If the barn was destroyed, why was she hearing things again? She needed Duke to tell her what was going on, she needed his reassurance that she wasn't crazy, especially since her pills were in the water under the porch.

Duke didn't have any answers for her, but he really wanted to have some. He wanted to make her feel better, he wanted to be right that she was just Troubled. He had been so sure, but what if he was wrong? "We need to talk to Nathan."

Jennifer agreed. "Do you think he'll know what is going on?"

"I don't know," Duke admitted. "But I feel like we'll have a better chance of figuring it out between the three of us." Duke grabbed his phone and called. He disconnected after a few moments and put it in his pocket. "Voicemail," he explained. He grabbed his keys and put his hand on her arm, partially to reassure her, and partially to guide her out to the car.

* * *

They were surprised when they walked into the police station and it was empty. Duke decided they could wait in Nathan's office, after all he had left him several messages on the way to the station.

Jennifer was close to panicking. She couldn't believe she was hearing things again. She couldn't live like that anymore. She knew Duke didn't have the answers, but she kept hoping he would come up with some explanation.

"Look, it's going to be okay," Duke tried to reassure her.

"It's not okay, Duke," Jennifer disagreed. "I threw away my meds and now I am hearing things again. If the barn was destroyed, then where is it coming from?"

Duke looked into her eyes and spoke as softly and calmly as he could. "I don't know." He wished there was something else he could say. He was surprised at the thought that came into his head to walk over to her and wrap her in his arms. He wanted to make it better, he wanted to see the smile return to her face. He didn't. Instead, he said, "I'm sorry."

"Maybe I was never connected to your friend Audrey at all," she shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "Maybe I _am_ just crazy."

Duke had nothing to say to that. Before he could come with something, they heard a noise from outside in the main area. They ran out to see an officer was dead and bloody on the floor. Duke was terrified at the amount of blood in front of him, but he instinctively put himself in between Jennifer and the danger. He didn't consider it coming at them from above, and then the unthinkable happened. He absorbed blood in front of her. _No!_ his mind screamed. _I will not hurt her!_

Jennifer didn't understand what she was seeing. Duke changed, his body language was more of a predator than protector. His beautiful dark eyes changed in front of her to silver. He yelled at her to get away, and she only hesitated for a second.

* * *

He didn't want the truth to come out this way. He saw the way Jennifer was looking at him. Jordan had called him an 'evil sponge' and he had seen the trepidation in Jennifer's eyes. The one thing he never wanted was for her to be afraid of him.

Jennifer couldn't help but be slightly distracted from the danger in front of them. _Why would Duke hide his Trouble from me_? she wondered. _Doesn't he trust me?_ She watched the others try to deal with the giant, horror movie, murderous puddle of blood that was cornering them.

Duke realized that there was only one way to save everyone, redeem himself in Jennifer's eyes. He didn't know if it would kill him, or what it would do to him, but he knew they were out of options. He was scared as he reached forward into the puddle. He felt it moving up over his skin, and he felt the power start to course through his veins. _I have to control it, it can't control me _he thought. The feeling was intense and the next thing he knew he was sitting on the floor, with a vague recollection of choking Dwight. The euphoria had never been so strong, it was moments like this that made him understand why his father kept killing, and it made him more determined than ever to be different.

Jennifer could only watch the scene in front of her unfold. It was surreal and confusing. Since she had known him, admittedly for a short time, Duke had been nothing but gentle with her. When he just about fell onto the floor, she ran to him. She knew with a certainty that he wouldn't hurt her.

She watched Duke try to catch his breath. "Now I know why you bolted when I cut my finger," she paused as Duke looked up at her. "You didn't trust me enough to tell me?"

Duke had to decide in a split second how much he was going to say. He wanted to tell her everything. He decided right there that he wanted her to know him, to know the truth. "My thing with troubled blood, it's hook..." he trailed off, out of breath.

"You look like you're in so much pain," she said worriedly.

Duke shook his head as he looked away from her. "It doesn't hurt," he explained. "It feels amazing. Like heroin amazing, At least that's what people tell me."

Jennifer was surprised. She thought he was afraid of the pain.

"I saw what this thing did to my father," he confessed. "My grandfather, whatever family I had, it's ripping it apart."

* * *

Later that night, Jennifer had a lot to think about. She had been back in the apartment thinking about how strong Duke was, when she heard William and Audrey's voices in her head. She had rushed down to the bar to tell Duke. They had called Nathan, and they had talked for a while upstairs about what she had heard. She was glad to bring some hope back to the two of them, a new angle on their search.

They had left, and she couldn't sleep, even though she was exhausted. She kept seeing the fear in Duke's eyes as they turned silver. She understood now that the fear was for her safety and for himself. He was so afraid of succumbing to the pull of the blood, the feeling of euphoria. She understood what it was like to not feel in control.

She climbed into bed, hoping that if she rested her body, then her mind may follow suit. She drifted off a few minutes later, thinking that if Duke were here with her, she was positive she could safely pass into dreamland.

* * *

Duke hadn't gone home. He was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. Most of the lights were off in the Gull, it was late. He had made sure that Wade wouldn't be disturbing Jennifer's sleep tonight. Duke stared off over the water, marveling at the lights twinkling off on the distant shore. Even though he couldn't count how many times he had seen them, the water and the stillness of the scene calmed him. He thought back to Jennifer's reaction to his Trouble. She didn't seem afraid of him, just afraid _for_ him. She didn't know what a monster he was capable of becoming if he didn't keep it under iron control.

He also wondered at his reactions to Jennifer today. He felt slightly guilty that for a large part of the day he was more concerned with Jennifer than Audrey. Not that much time had passed for him, and he still loved Audrey, but he was also a realist. He didn't think that she was coming home the same way she left. Even if she did, he was pretty sure that Nathan was her true love, as much as it irked him to admit.

Maybe karma had handed him another choice. He would never stop looking for Audrey, but he really was starting to feel like Jennifer was his responsibility, and he liked being around her.

Duke noticed that the light in the apartment above had gone out. Hopefully, she could get some rest tonight. He knew he should be getting back to his boat and to his own bed, but for some reason, a late night beer and some Discovery Channel didn't seem to be a great choice. Maybe he'd just hang out here a little longer, make sure everything and everyone was ok. He stared off at the lights again, and felt at peace for the first time that day.


	4. Chapter 4-Handstands, Empty Bowls, Oh My

**Author's Note: **This chapter takes place during the events of 4x04 – Lost and Found. Duke and Jennifer are starting to get closer. I also liked the progression with Jennifer's character in this episode, but I couldn't resist having a little fun with her in the beginning. Enjoy! I'll try to update again this week.

* * *

Jennifer woke with a start. She had heard Audrey's voice again. She had to call Duke. She jumped out of bed and almost fell over her clothes that she had left on the floor by the bed. "Damn it!" she yelled as she caught herself on the bed frame. She managed to get over to the counter where she had left her phone without injuring any other body parts.

When Duke answered on the other end, she didn't give him a chance to even say hello. "Duke! I heard more! Audrey's in danger, we have to help her, there's a door, we have to find it," she said without taking a breath.

Duke interrupted her to tell her he'd be there in minutes and then he hung up. Jennifer ran over to her clothes and was going to throw something on, but she decided she didn't want to look like she just rolled out of bed, even though she had. She ran to the bathroom and brushed her hair and teeth, threw on a little makeup, (which she tried not to think about why she needed to look nice for Duke), and before she could get her shoes on both feet, there was a knock at the door.

She hopped over with a shoe in her hand, and opened the door. She only briefly noticed how cute he was in the morning before she started talking. "I was sleeping, but then I heard voices. I know they weren't dream voices, they were real voices, I mean they were real voices from the barn, and Audrey was talking to someone…"

"Hold on, can I come inside?" Duke asked. "I think we need to take it a little slower, I'm having trouble keeping up."

"Oh!" Jennifer exclaimed, and let go of the door. She still was holding her shoe and looked at Duke a little sheepishly. "I guess I got excited, Audrey could die!"

Duke rushed into the apartment, closed the door and took Jennifer's shoe from her hand. "Sit down," he said.

Jennifer nodded and went over to the couch hopping a little. Duke followed her, and after she sat down, he handed her the shoe. "Now, start at the beginning, and a little slower."

She proceeded to tell him about the conversation she had heard between Audrey and some guy. They were talking about the barn dying and how Audrey had to get out. Duke never interrupted her or said anything until she reached the part about the door. "Okay, so she can get out if we find the door? Where is it supposed to be?"

Jennifer took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't know. I had trouble hearing parts. Not _Trouble_ trouble, but regular trouble. I just know we have to find it. If we don't and the barn dies all the way, then Audrey dies with it."

Duke considered that for a minute. He was sure that Jennifer would remember more, or could maybe hear more if she relaxed a little, but he realized that was close to impossible right now with how wound up she was. Maybe proximity to the barn would help, except they didn't know where it was. Well, they knew where it used to be, and maybe that was better than nothing.

"Okay," he said. "Let's see if we can help with your reception. Would you mind going to the field where the barn disappeared?"

Jennifer nodded her head vigorously. She felt like she needed to _do_ something. And Duke had good ideas. She jumped up off the couch and started to grab her jacket, but she was a little off balance. She realized she still hadn't put her other shoe on, and sat back down. Duke acted like he didn't notice, and when she was ready a minute later, they left.

* * *

During the drive back to the _Cape Rouge_, Jennifer had been kind of quiet. She felt like she should have been doing something more. She tried her hardest to hear, hear anything while they were standing in that field. She looked over at Duke while he was driving, he noticed and looked back at her smiling.

"You did fine," he said, as if he knew her thoughts.

She smiled at him, and he looked back to the road. She didn't want to disappoint him, but what happened when they found Audrey? Then they wouldn't have a reason to spend so much time together. _Stop that, _she chided herself. _That doesn't matter. _ She did like how he stood up to Nathan again for her though. It felt nice. Nathan had a habit of being a little intense. The more upset Nathan got, the more she felt like she wasn't doing enough. When Nathan had said _I need her_, Jennifer had shivered at the emotion in his voice. She had never done well with deadlines or pressure, and now someone's life was in her hands.

Duke knew that Jennifer being quiet wasn't a good thing. He knew her well enough by now to know that if she was quiet, then she was trapped in her thoughts, worrying and freaking out. He had to get her to relax. She wasn't going to hear anything if she was wound up so much. Each time she had heard the barn's Greatest Hits, she was sleeping. Duke looked over at her again. He also was starting to dislike anything that kept this girl from being her sparkly self_. Normal adjectives didn't seem to do her perkiness justice_, he smiled and thought to himself. _I wonder what is going to happen once we find Audrey._ He was getting used to having Jennifer around, and wasn't too eager for her to go back to Boston. _Focus!_ He reprimanded himself. The first order of business was to get her mind off the whole thing. He had told her that he was going to teach her to meditate, that clearing her mind would improve her connection to the barn. Honestly, he had no idea if that was true, but he _was_ sure that distracting her probably would.

* * *

_Damn, _Jennifer thought to herself. _I know I am supposed to be meditating and relaxing and stuff, but, DAMN!_ She was watching Duke slowly bring his feet up over his head into a handstand. The muscles in is arms were taught and amazingly defined. _His tattoos are sexy, too. _

When he stood back up, Jennifer thought she'd try it, even though she couldn't remember the last time she had done a handstand. Of course, she was a little too exuberant, and she flipped over, right into Duke's arms, hanging upside down.

Duke smiled to himself as he held onto Jennifer's legs. He liked holding her, but as she was holding desperately on to his leg, she couldn't be that comfortable. He lowered down, while averting his eyes.

They continued to try different techniques he had learned over the years. Duke was beginning to think that not even Buddha himself could relax Jennifer's mind. Since he was really just trying to distract her, hopefully, they were making some kind of progress. He sat down, crossed his legs and picked up a bowl. He watched as Jennifer tried to copy his pose, and laughed to himself. "You can just sit however's comfortable." He loved how unselfconscious she was as she plopped her legs down, spreading the out to the sides. He handed her the bowl and told her to make her mind as empty as the bowl.

Jennifer looked at the bowl dubiously. She thought that some of the stuff they had tried was a little out there, but did she really have to hold a bowl? She mimicked Duke's movements, but she ended up practically throwing the bowl across the boat.

* * *

Jennifer was standing in a field, at a door. Not a doorway that was part of a house, heck not even the door of a car that was parked at the field. It was just a white door in a frame that should not be able to stand up without supports. Duke was on the phone to Nathan, telling them what they had found.

They had finally tried an activity that she could get behind, drinking and playing quarters, when she had finally heard something. They now knew that they had to find the door that Audrey would come through out of the barn, but they had no idea where it was originally. Jennifer marveled at Duke and his ability to figure these kinds of things out. He realized the foghorn sound she had been hearing wasn't in the background where they were, but rather _where the barn was_. He ran off to look at his charts, and in no time they were back on the road, driving to some other part of Haven she hadn't seen yet.

She looked around and thought about how pretty it was here, how maybe under different circumstances, she and Duke could have come here for a picnic. But she pushed those thoughts aside when Duke returned, telling her that Nathan was on his way. She knew he'd be expecting her, the only person who could see the door, to figure out how it worked. She tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge. She knew Audrey had opened her door at one point, but she could only assume that her door wouldn't open because Audrey had shut hers. _Some kind of supernatural suction, _she thought.

The more she thought about the consequences of failing, the more stressed out she became. Suddenly, the door became visible to Duke and Nathan, she could tell by the looks on their faces. Then, just when she thought it couldn't get any worse or more intense, people with guns walked into the clearing.

_Great,_ Duke thought. _The Guard and Jordan_. _Just what we need now._ Duke looked around and sized up the situation. He mentally counted how many men were there and what their positions were. He calculated the distance of the men closest to Jennifer, and felt confident that he could get to her first.

Jennifer realized that Audrey had opened her door. She temporarily forgot about the scary men with guns as she watched Nathan tug and pull on the door. All at once, she became calm. She realized why she was the only one who could hear the barn. "Maybe it has to be me," she said.

Duke looked over at her at the sound of her voice. He instinctively knew she was right. He watched as her hand moved deliberately toward the knob.

"No one's opening that door!" a threatening voice called out. They all turned around to see Dave Teagues brandishing a gun.

Jennifer listened as Nathan argued with Dave and Vince. Dave was going on about a great evil that would escape. Jordan stepped in and used her special brand of crowd control. Duke and Nathan were talking, but Jennifer barely heard. She turned back to the door and reached out towards the knob again. She had a brief thought that the door knob was cooler to the touch than she expected, and she noticed that it was very smooth feeling in her hand. She felt like every sense was heightened and on edge. She held her breath and turned. The door swung open easily this time.

Everyone could see the vastness and storms through the doorway. It seemed like oblivion was on the other side. Nathan started calling out for Audrey, and that was the last thing Jennifer remembered.

Duke and Jennifer came to about the same time. Duke noticed her as soon as he opened his eyes. He took a quick look to see if she was okay, and determined that she was unhurt. _Audrey, _he thought a moment later. He looked around. It seemed that everyone in the field had been knocked out and were all starting to get back up. He saw the body of a woman the same time that Nathan did, and it wasn't Jennifer or Jordan. She wasn't waking up like the others. Nathan moved quickly to her side and everyone stood to watch. They sat on the grass, and Duke and Jennifer were standing there, transfixed.

Jennifer listened to Nathan tell the woman she could only assume was Audrey that she had to kill him to end the Troubles. She watched him kiss her, a kiss so tender and full of longing, she felt embarrassed watching it. She watched him press a gun into the woman's hand. And, she heard the woman say, "And who is Audrey? My name is Lexie."

Jennifer was shocked. She quickly looked at Duke, as she was realizing was her habit whenever she was disturbed, worried, stressed, whatever. She didn't feel any better when he looked just as confused as she did.

_What now?_ She thought.


	5. Chapter 5 - Finding Her Place

**A/N: ** This chapter takes place during 4x05. I am a little behind, since I am working on my other story for NaNoWriMo. I am hoping to catch up a little this week. I am loving where Duke and Jennifer are right now, and I want to get this story up to that timeline. As always, thank you so much for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it.

* * *

Jennifer stood helplessly by as chaos erupted all around her. She had only seen Duke go all Super Troubled once before, and it was a little scary. She had to admit it was kind of cool, though, seeing him throw that Guard guy across the field. Jennifer turned to see Nathan run off into the woods, and she was at a loss for what to do. Duke was like a madman, and people were flying everywhere. She noticed that Audrey, or whoever she was, was standing not too far off, obviously confused. She walked over to her.

"Where am I?" the woman asked.

Jennifer reached for her arm, partially to comfort her, and partially to pull her out of harm's way. "Maine," she answered. "Don't worry, after a while, you kind of get used to it."

Duke was all instinct and adrenaline. Everywhere he turned, there was a Guard. He knew Nathan had run off when he yelled, but he didn't know if he would get far. Duke quickly surveyed the area while fighting to make sure that Audrey and Jennifer were safe. Fortunately, no one was focused on them. A few guys were on the ground, and as Duke turned to face another, he realized that everyone was running off to find Nathan. He ran behind, afraid he would be too late.

Jennifer saw the woman she was now thinking of as Lexie pick up a gun from the ground near a Guardsman that was knocked out. She followed her down the hill as Lexie was chasing after the men. They came up behind a tree and Lexie fired a warning shot. Jennifer looked up to see Duke across from them. Lexie was talking, but all Jennifer could see was the fear on Duke's face. He felt helpless to save Nathan. Jennifer was getting good at reading him, and he had nothing. She could almost see his thoughts racing a mile a minute, trying desperately to come up with a plan. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he raised his head. Jennifer could tell he had an idea. She listened as he convinced Lexie that he was on her side and he went to talk to Vince. She couldn't hear what he was saying from where she was stationed behind the tree, but his and Vince's body language seemed like he was convincing the older man of something. Vince looked their way, and nodded thoughtfully.

"Back to town," Vince barked at his men. "We'll take them to the Herald." Jordan didn't look too happy, but she seemed like she was going to comply. Lexie still had the gun trained on the man near Nathan. "Lexie," Vince said. "Let's go into town where we can sort this out." He motioned at Duke. "This gentleman has an idea that might help the situation."

Lexie seemed to consider, and then lowered the gun. "No one is killing anyone?" she asked.

"No," Vince said. "I'd rather solve this in a different way."

Lexie looked like she was onboard, at least for now. The Guard started walking back up the hill, Jordan stalked off, not too happy, and Duke walked over to help Nathan up.

When they got back to where the cars were, Vince didn't seem like he trusted anyone too much when he announced that he and Dave would transport Nathan and Lexie into town. Duke didn't want to push his luck, and he wanted to make sure that Jennifer also got out of there safe. He opened the door for her, briefly considered if he would be able to talk her into going back to the Gull, and then realized that she probably wouldn't agree to that.

Jennifer got into the jeep, and almost burst when Duke closed the door behind him. "What the hell?" she demanded.

Duke backed the jeep up slowly, not reacting where others could see them, and got on the road before looking over at her. "I don't know, I was reacting on instinct," he said, almost apologetically.

"Not you, but that can be a conversation for later," she explained. "I mean Audrey! The Guard! How are we going to fix this?"

Duke smiled grimly at the 'we' in her statement. He had gotten her so wrapped up in this, and he was really beginning to think that wasn't the safest idea. "I told Vince that the only way out of this was to have Nathan and Lexie spend time together. Those two are destined to fall in love, no matter who they are. I don't know if it will work, but it bought us some time."

Jennifer was staring ahead. "Why isn't she Audrey?"

Duke took a moment before answering. "I'm not sure. It could just be that fact she was in the barn. It seems to wipe her memories, but I was hoping it would be different this time. She usually spends twenty seven years there, this time it was only a few months."

"What are we going to do if the Guard decides they don't want to wait?" Jennifer pressed. "Jordan doesn't seem like she is following Vince blindly."

Duke took his hand off of the wheel for a moment and reached out to squeeze her left hand. "What we always do, I guess, improvise."

They drove in silence the rest of the way into town. Jennifer was thinking about how nice it was that Duke reached out to hold her hand, even if it was just for a brief squeeze. She could tell that Duke was lost in his thoughts of what was going on with his friends. Even with her limited time in Haven, she knew he would do anything for Nathan and Audrey. _Audrey, I guess I'll have to start thinking of her as Lexie now,_ Jennifer thought to herself.

They arrived at the Herald about the same time as the others. Jennifer watched as the Guard escorted Nathan and Lexie to a back room. She, Duke, Jordan, Dave and Vince stayed in the front. Jordan and Vince were arguing about the situation, about the barn.

"You won't find it," Jennifer interjected. "It's gone. For good this time."

Duke jumped in to verify what Jennifer was saying, he didn't like how Jordan was looking at her. They all continued to argue, until Vince stood up and ended the conversation. It was decided that Nathan and Lexie would work together, and see if she would fall for Nathan. For now.

The Guard dispersed, Jordan stormed off and Vince went in back to get Nathan and Lexie. Duke came over to Jennifer. "It looks like things are going to calm down for now," he said. He took her elbow and guided her out the front door. "I am going to take you back to the Gull, and follow Nathan, Lexie and Vince to make sure everyone keeps to the plan."

Jennifer nodded and they climbed back into his jeep.

* * *

Jennifer was upstairs in Audrey's apartment. She supposed that it was going to be Lexie's now and she would have to figure out where to go. She wasn't ready to leave Haven, but maybe they didn't need her anymore. Duke was pretty quick to bring her back here and go off with Nathan and Lexie. She was starting to realize that maybe she wasn't as necessary as before. She couldn't hear the barn anymore, Lexie was back, what else could she do? She and Duke had been spending so much time together that she had been getting used to it. She sat on the couch, wondering what to do, when it hit her! She could find other ways to be useful, and then she'd have a reason to stay. First thing, she knew that if she had been the one to jump out of an inter-dimensional doorway in a short skirt and tank top, she'd want some new clothes. Jennifer jumped up and bustled about, grabbing a few of Audrey's old clothes and things. She wasn't sure what Lexie would want, so she grabbed what looked good, stuffed a few things in a bag and ran out the door. She was driving downtown when she saw the police cars a street over and figured that'd be a good place as any to find them. She saw them, parked, grabbed the clothes and hopped out, determined to be cheerful and helpful.

When Duke saw her approach, he didn't seem happy to see her. She shrugged it off and pretended not to notice. She explained to Lexie what she had and handed them over. As Nathan and Lexie walked away, she turned to Duke. "Are you really doing this?" she asked, losing her bubbly demeanor.

Duke looked frazzled. "No, of course not. Back there in the woods, I was just trying to buy time, keep him alive. I never thought the Guard would buy it, but they did. And now I just have to keep this ball in the air."

It took Jennifer just a split second to decide. It was important, and she could help. She wanted Duke to see that.

It only took Duke a split second to realize that Jennifer was going to put herself in danger for them. He couldn't allow that. He reached out to stop her, and tried to explain how bad this Trouble was. He wanted her somewhere safe, somewhere he didn't have to worry about her. As soon as he told her that they had it covered, he could tell he said the wrong thing. Her whole body language changed. He had hurt her feelings, and as she stammered something about moving her things out of the apartment and walked off, he knew that was something he would have to fix, later, when he had time.

Jennifer walked quickly back to the car, fighting back the tears. She had decided to commit completely to the situation. She had left Boston on a whim, and had started to feel like she belonged, for the first time in a long time.

She got into her car, gripped the steering wheel with both hands and drove back to the Gull. She guessed that she had read into the situation wrong from the start. All Duke had been interested in was finding Audrey, and now that they had, he didn't need her help anymore. She wasn't going to stay somewhere she wasn't wanted. If Duke wanted to pine after someone he couldn't have, on more than one level, then fine, he could pine away.

She got back to the Gull, stormed upstairs and surveyed the apartment. Fortunately, she didn't really have much stuff with her, there wasn't too much that wasn't already in a bag. Most of her things were still in Boston. She gathered up her belongings and then her anger started to run out of steam. She sat down on the couch, hanging her head in her hands. Was she really going to leave? If she did, would the voices in her head come back, or were they really gone? Could she go and leave Duke? She had been getting used seeing him every day, the long hair, his sharp angular face, his prominent nose. She felt better when she was with him, and she had liked having a purpose. Her life in Boston had been aimless, nothing really tying her there. But here, she was needed, she was working towards something.

What if she gave it a chance? What if she gave them a chance? Maybe she had misunderstood the situation. She decided to tell Duke that she was going back to Boston and see what he said. If she was wrong, she would be able to tell from how he reacted. She ran down the stairs and hopped in her car. After a few minutes, she realized that she didn't know where he was. _Impulsive, as usual, _she thought. She drove back to the Gull, figuring it was the best place to wait for him.

When she pulled up, she realized that Duke was there. She climbed out of the car, determined to go through with this. She walked through the doors of the bar and steeling her courage, she told him she was leaving. When his only response was 'Have fun', she realized that her first instincts were right. He didn't have any further use for her. She said the only thing that popped into her mind as she turned to quickly get out of there, "Okay, well, you could have tried to talk me out of it just a little."

As she was leaving, he stopped her, apologizing. She was confused, but glad he had said something.

* * *

Duke was screaming, but Jennifer couldn't hear him. She didn't know that it wasn't him she was talking to. He watched Tyler use his body and he was helpless to stop him. He listened as Tyler told Jennifer that he was also leaving town, and that they should go together. As Tyler leaned in to kiss Jennifer, Duke was sure his heart was going to stop. He felt that kiss, but it was like a dream. Even though it was brief, it registered with him that Jennifer kissed him back. Pushing that thought aside, Duke knew he had to find a way out of this, a way to make sure Jennifer wasn't hurt, but he didn't know how.

Jennifer was shocked when Duke kissed her. She wasn't going to pretend like she hadn't thought about kissing him, but everything was so confusing and jumbled up in her head. She broke away from the kiss and thought it was weird that Duke would want to leave Haven, just as Audrey was back. Maybe it was too painful for him to see her as Lexie, and maybe he was realizing that it was too hard for him to watch Nathan and Lexie together. All of this flew through her mind in a split second, as she decided to go with him. She might be a rebound situation, but who knew what might happen?

Duke realized he liked Jennifer's tendency to be impulsive, but this time, he really wished that she was more practical. Leaving her things behind, he watched as they got into her car and started to drive away.

After a minute or two, as things started to come together in Jennifer's mind, she started to think something might be wrong with Duke. When they got to the hospital and she made a crack about flashing her boobs, she was sure. He didn't seem like he knew what she was talking about. He was being affected by a Trouble. When she called him out on it, she caught him looking at the gun on the dash. Suddenly, her sense of self-preservation kicked in and she stabbed him the thigh with a pen from her purse. Once he was distracted with the pain, she grabbed the gun, shaking, and jumped out of the car. Duke got out on his side, limping a little, and she yelled at him while holding the gun up. He ran off into the hospital.

Nathan and Lexie came up fast, gravel spinning under the wheels of his Bronco. She told them what was going on, and after a little heated conversation, it was decided that Lexie would go in after Duke.

Jennifer stood outside for what seemed like an eternity. She hated not knowing what was going on, whether or not he was okay. Nathan was pacing, obviously worried about Lexie being in there alone. She knew it hadn't been the hundred years it felt like, more like five minutes, when Duke and Lexie emerged from the doorway. Jennifer wanted to run over to him, but suddenly felt unsure if he would welcome that. The kiss hadn't been _him_, the offer to run away together wasn't _him_. The last thing she was sure was him had been when he told her to leave when she brought Audrey's clothes to Lexie. She watched as Nathan checked on them. Duke was limping still, and she kind of felt bad about that. She had liked that pen, too.

The first thing that Duke looked for when he came outside was Jennifer. He found her instantly, and she looked worried. He regretted that he had put her in danger, he had tried to keep her away from it and it had found her anyway. She seemed so fragile, but then he smiled inwardly when he remembered her holding a gun on Tyler, threatening to shoot him in the face. She was tougher than she looked. Could she forgive him for risking her life, for hurting her feelings earlier? She had said she wanted to go back to Boston, but he was pretty sure that wasn't true. He needed to talk to her, but first, he needed a bandage.

* * *

Duke walked into the Gull, favoring his leg. It was definitely sore, Jennifer was stronger than she looked to get a pen past denim and skin. The nurse at the emergency room was surprised that the pen had gone in as far as it did. He'd have to remember not to piss her off again.

Jennifer was standing at the back door, looking out over the water when she heard Duke come in. She didn't know what she was going to say, she didn't know what she felt about everything. It was all so confusing, but the one thing she was pretty sure of was that she didn't want to go home and never see him again. She half listened to Duke and Wade, and after Wade walked away, she knew Duke was going to come over to her.

Duke was doing a great job pissing off the people he cared about today. He saw Jennifer standing a few feet away and knew this was his chance to either ruin everything for good, or fix it. He had thought it over on his way back to the Gull. He didn't want her to leave. He wanted her close, close enough that he was going to offer her the spare room on the _Rouge_. He remembered their kiss, and felt cheated at the memory. It wasn't _their_ first kiss, Tyler had taken that, but Duke was determined that they were going to have a proper first kiss. Somewhere, and he didn't know when, he had realized that there was no future for him with Audrey. It wasn't today, it wasn't yesterday, maybe it was a slow dawning. He wasn't settling for Jennifer, either. He couldn't mourn something he hadn't really had. Audrey was his best friend, but there wasn't ever a chance for them, he knew that now. He needed to see what was right in front of him, and hope he hadn't ruined his chances.

They talked about Wade for a moment, neither of them willing to start the conversation that they needed to have. Duke finally asked her about going back to Boston, his voice deep and serious. He looked directly into her eyes, willing her to see how he felt.

Jennifer looked up into Duke's eyes. She thought she saw something there, but she couldn't be sure. This was her last chance to see what they meant to each other. She confirmed that she was leaving, and then caught her breath as Duke moved closer to her. She could feel the heat from his body, the intensity of his gaze as he asked her to stay. When he said that word, _Stay_, her heart skipped a beat. She wanted so much to stay with him, and she wanted just as much for _him_ to want her to. She didn't say anything, for once she had no quip or comeback, she just listened to the raw emotion in his voice. He told her he didn't care that the barn was gone, and she knew then that he was really interested in her, not just what she offered in the search for Audrey.

She needed to know something first, though, before she agreed to stay. "You remember everything that puppet Duke did?" When he nodded, she continued, "You kissed me."

"You kissed me back," he replied.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, each saying nothing, just looking into the other's eyes. They probably would have stayed like that longer if Lexie hadn't walked around outside towards the apartment stairs.

Duke reached out and put his hands on Jennifer's shoulders, pulling her into him the rest of the way. He leaned his head down and rested his forehead on top of her head.

"I'll stay," she whispered.


End file.
